Orbital Sciences said this week it plans to revamp its Antares rocket program and target another launch in 2016. Meanwhile, the company continues to investigate the cause of the Oct. 28 engine failure that led operators to intentionally destroy the unmanned supply rocket seconds after ignition. David Thompson, the company’s president and CEO, told investors this week the engines used during the failed launch won’t be used in future operations, Time.com reported. “Current evidence strongly suggests that one of the two AJ26 main engines that powered Antares’ first stage failed about 15 seconds after ignition,” Thompson told investors in Time’s recording of the call.
Time’s report includes video of launch preparations for Antares, used to carry supplies to the International Space Station. It also shows footage of tests conducted in 2010. The rocket exploded during Orbital Sciences’ third launch under its $1.9 billion, eight-launch contract with NASA. The company said in a statement it will fulfill its contract and resume launch operations in 2016. In the meantime, its investigators have found that a turbopump failure is a possible cause of the incident. “As a result, the use of these engines for the Antares vehicle likely will be discontinued,” the company said. The engines were originally built in the late 1960s or early 1970s for the Soviet moon program.
